Saturday, 20 June 2009

Planescape: Torment - Best Mods/Increase Resolution Guide

This is the ultimate guide to Planescape: Torment mods; Including increasing the game resolution, playing in widescreen, installing the best mods, fixing bugs, re-adding deleted missions, and running on modern operating systems like Windows 8, 7, XP and Vista.This is a complete step-by-step guide to installing, patching and improving Planescape: Torment. It will allow you to play the game in widescreen (in any resolution you like), fix hundreds of bugs, re-add deleted missions that were cut due to time constraints, and much more.

In short: This is how Planescape: Torment SHOULD be played.

All of these wonderful things are possible thanks to the hard work of the following Planescape: Torment fans: Qwinn, scient, GhostDog, Valerio Bigiani (the bigg) and Aqrit. I've also used additional help constructing this guide from Jake, Air, Jeff Vader and others. Thanks a lot!

If you have any problems using this guide, there is now a TROUBLESHOOTING section at the end.

NOTE FOR GOG.COM USERSPlanescape: Torment was recently made available on the excellent Good Old Games website (aka http://www.gog.com). I'm pleased to announce that this guide is fully compatible with that version of the game, simply skip the first two steps and go straight to Step 3a. Enjoy!

Please note: It is highly recommended that you install these mods when you're starting a new game. If you're in the middle of an existing game, there can be unpredictable problems with your existing saves.

Note: The order in which you do the following steps IS important, so don't skip one unless it's 'optional' or 'recommended'.

Step 1: Install the Game (Required - of course)You should have no problems using the normal installer, but it will only install the files found on Disc 1 (and then possibly force you to sit through an Icewind Dale trailer - arg).

WINDOWS 8, 7 AND VISTA USERSIt is highly recommended that you should NOT install the game to your C:\Program Files\ directory. That directory is a special directory and is locked by Windows to make it impossible for other files to alter what is installed there (for security reasons), which means it will potentially cause you a few problems later when you try to save games or install mods. To make life easier on yourself, just install the game to a different directory (eg. C:\Games\) or a different drive (eg. D:\).Side note: Do NOT disable UAC in Windows -- This is akin to using a battleaxe to slice an apple!

UAC makes sure that applications do not have Administrator access on your system, while still giving YOU Administrator access when you need it. Disabling it for the sake of a game is very stupid. Don't do it!

Don't worry about doing a full-install now though, we'll get to that later in Step 2.Step 1a: Install the official patch (Required - Only on the 4 disc or 1 disc versions!)Note: If your copy of Planescape: Torment came on 2 discsthen SKIP this step!(The patch is already pre-installed on the 2 disc version, and installing again it will cause problems within the game.)

How to install:If you're running the 4 CD or 1 DVD version then justdownload the official patch (trmt11.exe) and run the executable (it will automatically know where you've installed the game). This will bring Planescape: Torment up to version 1.1.

IMPORTANT: QUICK CHECK!Before moving on, try running Planescape: Torment and ensuring that it loads correctly. If it doesn't, then you need to redo the steps above before applying the patches below.

Ok, that's the basics done. Now let's take full advantage of your modern machine, and improve the loading speed and the graphics quality...

Step 2: Improve loading times on faster machines (Required)Note: The step is necessary before you can perform the Steps 3a and b, below.What it does: Copying all of the game's files to your harddrive improves the game loading speed immensely and allows you to improve the graphics, too. It requires approximately 1.3GB of HD space, which should not be an issue for modern machines.

How to do it (4 disc version):

First, create a new directory in your game directory (where torment.exe resides) and name it "CDALL".

Then copy all the .bif files from disc 2 into this directory. (You'll find the .bif files in a folder called "cd2" on the game disc).

Now copy all the .bif files from discs 3 and 4.

How to do it (1 disc version):

First, create a new directory in your game directory (where torment.exe resides) and name it "CDALL".

Then copy all the .bif files from the "cd2" directory of the disc into the CDALL directory.

Do the same for the .bif files in the "cd3" and "cd4" directories on the disc.

How to do it (2 disc version):

First, create a new directory in your game directory (where torment.exe resides) and name it "CDALL".

Then copy all the .bif and .cbf files from disc 2 into this directory. (You'll find the .bif and .cbf files in a folder called "cd2" on the disc).

It will take a while to copy all these files to your HD and Windows will alert you that some of them already exist. This is perfectly normal: These are duplicate files (the same files stored on different game discs to reduce the amount of disc swapping when playing the game from CD). Just skip them or overwrite them and you will be saving yourself 500 megabytes of HD space in the process.

When you're finished you should either have 188 files (4 disc or 1 disc versions) or 108 files (2 disc versions) in the CDALL directory.

Now we just need to edit the configuration file to point to our new directory instead of the CD drive.

Open torment.ini in Notepad. At the top should be a section called [alias] and it should look something like this:

The top line ("HD0:") is where the game is installed on your harddrive (as mentioned, it may be different than shown here). The next lines point to your CD/DVD drive on your computer.

We need to change it so that the "CD" lines point to this "CDALL" directory you created. So, in my case, my torment.ini file now looks like this:HD0:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\TormentCD1:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment\CDALLCD2:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment\CDALLCD3:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment\CDALLCD4:=C:\Program Files\Black Isle\Torment\CDALLCD5:=D:\Note: You can ignore the CD5 line, it's not used.

For the next step, we're going to speed up loading times even more. Look the for the following line in the torment.ini file:

CacheSize=600

and change it to:

CacheSize=1
(The cache simply copies file from your CD to your harddrive -- since you've already done that, there's no point in getting the copy to copy them from your harddrive to your harddrive!)

Finally, to make the game look smoother and play better, make the following changes to the following lines in the torment.ini file:

Path Search Nodes=32000

and

Maximum Frame Rate=40

Save the file in Notepad and you're all set! (Note: Windows Vista and Windows 7 users should close and re-open the torment.ini file to ensure that the changes were saved.)

GOG.COM VERSION OWNERS START HERE!
Note: Make sure you've installed the game in a folder that isn'tC:\Program Files!

QUICK CHECK!Before moving on, try running Planescape: Torment and ensuring that it loads correctly. If it doesn't, then you need to redo the steps above before applying the patches below.

Step 3a: Install The Bigg's Widescreen mod (Highly recommended)(Currently at version 3.05)Note: You MUST complete Step 2 before attempting to install this mod (unless you're a Gog.com version owner)!

What it does:This awesome patch allows you to play Planescape: Torment at a higher resolution, making the game look a whole lot better, especially on modern monitors.

NOTEIf you have existing savegames you must let the mod update them during installation otherwise they will become invalidated. (The mod will give you a choice during installation.) I strongly suggest backing up your saves first. Please note: As a side-effect of adapting your saves to the new system, all previously explored areas will be re-covered in the "fog of war".

How to install:Download from mod from here: The Bigg's Widescreen mod (no, it doesn't matter whether you actually have a widescreen monitor or not). (If the previous link is broken, please check the official site.)

Double-click on the downloaded file, widescreen-v3.05.exe (it doesn't matter where the file is) and Browse to the directory on your computer where Planescape: Torment is installed. Click Install once you've done this.

When the new window opens, you will need to answer a series of very simple questions:

4. When asked for your X-coordinates, enter the number of pixels wide you'd like the resolution to be. When asked for your Y-coordinates enter the number of pixels tall you'd like the resolution to be.
If you have an LCD monitor (and I'm sure 99% of you will), then you'll probably want to run the game at your monitor's highest resolution to achieve the maximum sharpness of graphics. Here's a list of common resolutions for those who feel unsure of what to type. (You can keep experimenting until you find one that looks best for you.)

"Square" monitors

Widescreen monitors

X

Y

X

Y

800

600

1280

800

1024

768

1440

900

1280

960

1680

1050

1280

1024

1920

1200

Enter the co-ordinates and press ENTER.

5. Type 'Y' to update any savegames you have.
6. Type 'Y' if you're planning to play Planescape: Torment on more than one machine with different display resolutions. Otherwise, just type 'N'.

Note: You MUST follow the next step in order to fix the graphics at your new higher resolution!

Step 3b: Install Ghostdog's incredible UI mod (Required)(Currently at version 2.2)What it does:Increasing the resolution of the game will knock many special graphical effects out of place, put videos in the top left hand corner of your screen, make the menu screens look really ugly, and possibly even make the text really hard to read. Luckily this mod fixes ALL the above problems... It's really quite amazing!

How to install:This mod is a little trickier to install, but it's worth it, and all of the mods in the later steps are installed the in the same way...

OPENING .RAR OR .7Z FILESBefore you begin you will need some software capable of opening .rar and .7z files. If you don't already have something, I recommend downloading and installing the excellent free utility 7-Zip.

When you've downloaded it, you'll notice it's a .7z file. You need to open it up (usually just double-clicking on the file) and extract the entire archive directly to your Planescape: Torment directory (this is the directory where torment.exe is).

Once you've done this, double-click on the file Setup-GhostDog's-PST-UI.exe from within the game's directory.

Note: If Windows doesn't want to allow you to run the file, simply right-click on it, select "Properties", then "Unblock", and finally, "OK". Then try again.

In the window that opens you will be asked question, like with Bigg's Widescreen Mod:

1. Type "N" to skip viewing the ReadMe.
2. Type "I" to install the mod.
3. You will then get five options (in various languages):

Install the mod with the default fonts

Install the mod with 20% bigger fonts

Install the mod with 40% bigger fonts

Install the mod with 80% bigger fonts

Install the mod with 120% bigger fonts

It's a pretty hard thing to gauge from just looking at the numbers, but luckily Ghostdog has also provided a screenshot to help you decide. Take a look at the preview below to see what size is easiest to read on your monitor (click to see full size):

To pick an option, just type a number associated with it and press ENTER.

Note: If you're running Windows 7 and AVG anti-virus and you get a "permission denied" error, you may need to disable AVG's "Resident Shield" before this mod will install successfully. (Thanks to Maale for the tip.)

Note: Don't worry! As with all of the mods below, you can always run the setup file again in order to change your options. So if you don't like the font size you picked, simply run the Setup-GhostDog's-PST-UI.exe again and pick a different option!

QUICK CHECK!Before moving on, try running Planescape: Torment and ensuring that it loads correctly. If it doesn't, then you need to redo the steps above before applying the patches below.

Step 4: Install the Ultimate Fixpack by Qwinn (Highly recommended)(Currently at version 4.13)

NOTEYou will not be able to use your existing savegame files once you've installed the Fixpack -- you will have to start a new game. Do not continue with this guide until you're happy to start a new game!

What it does:Fixes hundreds of bugs left in the game. You definitely want this installed before playing the game.

How to install: Download the mod from here: Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack, and as with the previous mod, extract the entire archive to the game directory.

Then double click on the set-up file, Setup-PST-Fix.exe, from within the game directory. (As before, you may need to manually "unblock" the file before Windows will let you run it.)

In the window that opens, enter your language number (for example, enter "0" for English) and press ENTER. Then choose "N" (you can view the readme later if you want).

You'll then get the option to install the following items:

Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack, by Qwinn

Dialogue Spelling/Grammar Corrections (English Only)

Subtitled Cutscenes

You should choose to install allthree of these items, one-by-one. To do this, just type "I" and press ENTER for each one.

Explanation of the things you've just installed options:

The Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack is, as you'd expect, a ton of bug fixes for the game. You definitely want this.

The second option, Dialogue Spelling/Grammar Corrections, again corrects mistakes in the game's text (some serious, some not so serious, but all recommended).

The final option, Subtitled Cutscenes, is also recommended as there's some very important stuff said during the cutscenes -- that you don't want to miss!

You can now play a bug fixed, generally improved, version of Planescape: Torment, but why stop there when there's so much other great stuff to add...

Step 5a: Install Unfinished Business by Qwinn (Recommended)(Currently at version 4.12)

What it does:The Unfinished Business patch adds many missions back into the game that the designer's didn't have time to finish. Often these are items, conversations, and even entire quests that were intended tobe in the game, but time and money constraints meant they were left out, despite being close to completion.

Extract all files to the game directory (where torment.exe lives) and double-click on Setup-PST-UB.exe.

You will then be asked, as before, which items you want to install. All recommendations in this guide assume you're a new player to Planescape: Torment.

Do NOT install:

All Recommended PS:T Unfinished Business Components

(Saying no to this will give you more control, below.)

You SHOULD install:

Expanded Deionarra's Truth Mod

Do NOT install:

Restored Cheat Items

You SHOULD install:

Restored Able Ponder-Thought Research

Do NOT install:

Restored More Morte Mortuary Moments

(This is interesting if you're familiar with the game. Basically it alters Morte's dialogue tree at the very beginning, but players new to Planescape: Torment are recommended to stay with the normal version.)

Restored Candlestick Quest

(Again, this is better for players familiar with the game, for new players it's a little buggy and confusing.)

You SHOULD install:

Restored Deionarra's Truth Conversations

Do NOT install:

Restored Pendant of Yemeth Quest

(See Restored Candlestick Quest above for the reason why.)

You SHOULD install the rest of the mods. Each slightly improve and expand on the game in their own way:

Restored Elyce and Company

Restored Curst Citizens

Restored Curst Prisoners

Restored Carl Parfidor

Restored Morte & Ingress's Teeth Banter

Restored Alley of Dangerous Angles Thugs

Restored Items

Restored Party Comments and Banters

Restored Mebbeth

Restored Lower Ward Encounters

Restored Bestiary Entries

Note from Qwinn: You MUST keep an item from Ravel's Garden through most of the game to complete the "Expanded Deionarra's Truth Mod" quest. This item has multiple other uses. You may have to forego the other uses to keep one until you need it near the end of the game. You have been warned!

Step 5b: Install Tweaks Pack (Recommended)(Currently at version 4.12)

What it does:This patch tweaks and rebalances elements of the game. These are things that make the game more enjoyable to play, and have been requested by players since it was released.

These are very minor changes. I recommend NOT installing them, but it's up to you:

No Battle Music

Use Floating Text Font Globally

Do NOT install:

Identify All Items

Early Glabrezus Tweak

Power Action Leprechaun Annah, by Black Isle

Easter Egg Morte, by Black Isle

Add Quickload (it's unstable, sadly)

Rest Anywhere

Tome Of Cheats

Note: You can change your mind and add/remove any of these items later by running Setup-PST-Tweak.exe again. Step 6: Install Aqrit's DDrawFix (Recommended -- Not needed by GOG.com users!)(Currently at version 1.0)
Finally, modern PC users will need to install the following mod to remove any graphical glitches their state-of-the-art graphics card creates with an old game like this.

Download and instructions can be found here: http://bitpatch.com/ie_ddrawfix.html
It installs the same way as the previous mods (extract the archive to your Planescape: Torment folder and run the executable).

CONGRATULATIONS!You're all done! You can relax, start-up Planescape: Torment and enjoy one of the greatest games ever made in the best possible configuration. Hurrah!

TROUBLESHOOTING
If you're having any problems, here's a quick list of common issues with solutions.

Problem: I've installed the game onto my harddrive but it still asks for disc 2! What's going on??
Solution: This guide does NOT remove copyright protection(!). You will still need to have your Planescape: Torment disc inserted in order to play this game. There are a couple of "no cd" fixes to be found on the internet, but these will, unfortunately, most likely interfere with the many updates featured in this guide.

(Note: If you're having weird issues that nobody can help you with and you're using a "no cd" fix, that could be the cause. Unfortunately, if you didn't make a back-up of the original torment.exe file before you applied the "no cd" patch, then you will have to restart the installation of everything from scratch. :( )

Problem: I still don't get it. I copied all the game files onto my harddrive in order to make it quicker... so why does Planescape: Torment need the disc in the drive when I run it?
Solution: Yes, you are running the game from your harddrive, but while the game is loading it checks to see that you own the original game by looking for the game disc in your drive. Once it has finished this quick security check, everything else is being loaded from your harddrive.

Problem: I keep being asked to register my game, it's very annoying!
Solution: Very easy solution here, just go to the game folder (where torment.exe is) and delete the folder called ereg. This will stop that annoying pop-up from bugging you. (Thanks to Killah Mate for sharing this bug fix!)

Problem: The default game icon looks really cruddy on my Windows Vista/7 desktop
This bugged me, too, so I made this little replacement icon. Much better!

Problem: I have another problem that is not listed here :(
Solution: Try looking in this thread on the Spellhold Studios website. Hopefully you will find your answer there. (If you not, you could try asking for help. Some kind soul may know what to do.)

If you have any suggestions on how to improve this guide, please post it below. Thanks everyone!

With Vista, I still encounter problems with "Please insert Disk 2" even after copying all the files and changing the ini files. Unless i change the directory back to the CD it doesnt work at all.. Any clue what could have gone wrong?

I have a problem. I've followed the instructions and got to the step 4. When I try to install Ultimate Fixpack, a fatal error is reported. When I extract archive and run Setup-PST-Fix.exe, it automatically starts running. I don't get the option to choose language (enter language number) nor to view readme file or shoose what to install. It simply starts working, writing something like Auto-Updating on behalf of [Setup-PST-Fix.exe]:... and it lasts for 20 mins or so, and then it says: [Setup-PST-Fix.exe] Using scripting style "PST"ERROR: Problem parsing TP file [Setup-PST-Fix.TP2]: Sys_error("Setup-PST-Fix.TP2: Too many open files")

Hi Marko, I'm really sorry for taking so long to reply. I have no idea what your problem is, I'm afraid :( I would suggest getting in contact with Qwinn at the Fixpack forum: http://www.shsforums.net/index.php?showforum=552

If I was forced to take a guess I would say it was something wrong with your system...? Lack of RAM or something? (Very weird, though.)

I hope you find a solution and, if you do, you come back here and post about it!

I also got the 4CD version and tried that as well, but same thing happened. I really don't know what could be the problem. Gremlins? :D I asked Qwinn, but he just said that he had already seen that problem, but couldn't remember where.

Hi, I just wanted to say that I had solved my problem, thanks to Qwinn and Ghostdog. Their explanation can be found here http://www.shsforums.net/index.php?showtopic=41205&st=40&gopid=460364&#entry460364

You could consider explaining this in your guide, since I'm not the only one with these problems. Or you could just point them at the link above. :)

Possibly the most well-written and easy-to-follow guide of this kind I have ever used. Thanks for all your hard work, I know it took plenty of time and effort to do something that is this high quality. The Internet thanks you.

Are those unfinished missions that good? I remember reading a lengthy post-mortem interview with the creators on some indie RPG site from a year or so ago, but nothing about them was mentioned I think. Is there some detailed write-up about them somewhere?

I'm the wrong person to ask, I'm afraid I only know this version! I do know that the devs have given their approval for their re-insertion, or something. It would be interesting to see a list of them to truly rate them.

Just finding this guide made me want to reinstall and give it another shot. I haven't finished it since its release, and probably won't get all the way through this time.

Install was no problem. The only weird thing I notice is that if I bring a screen up (Inventory, Journal, or Statistics) with a hotkey, I can't close it again with the hot key. I have to click in the lower right corner of the screen.

But being able to see this in proper resolution, and stack items, and have the fixes all at once is very impressive. Thanks for your effort.

just wondering if i wanted to run at 1440x900 (if thats possible; seen at least one bloke on another forum with it) which step should i set this res at and should i skip any steps to make it possible?

i understand the bit where in biggs' mod i should set it at 1280x800 to set it as widescreen then ghostdog it to get aspects fixed etc. can i then use one of the tweakers to set it to the higher res and have it work? and if so which tweaker am i after?

or is it a matter of skipping ghostdog and putting up with a slightly odd UI to use my desired res?

im using a Benq FP92W - while 1280x800 is pretty close, if i can do full res id like to. also using win 7, if i can find my disks i'll install it and see if it plays nice...

Hey finished this game years ago when realesed and thought i'd give it another blast. Followed your excellent instructions to the letter yet can not run the game (it ran before modding). Just get this error msg and it wont start:-An Assertion failed in F:\torment\source\chitin\chvideo.cpp at line number 4322Programmer says: No valid video modes supported.I set res to 1280x800 with mods if that helps.Any help appriciated as id love to replay this game at its best rather than the rather buggy state i remember.Thanks

I think it's a problem with your drivers... This is from GhostDog's ReadMe file:

- Some video card drivers don't have 1280x800, 1280x768 or 1280x720 as a standard option especially when the monitor has a 16:9 aspect ratio. In most cases you have to open your video card's control panel and enable an option that allows custom resolutions.

[nickwest has provided detailed instructions about the NVIDIA panel:]

How I could tell my res was non-standard? when I got to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Display in the "Settings" tab theres a slider with screen resolution. When I change that slider around there isn't a 1280x800 displayed as an option (this is your problem).

1. Click the advanced button on the settings tab you're in 2. In the advanced menu, find the option on one of the tabs of "Start the NVIDIA Control Panel" and click it 3. In the Advanced Settings, go to "Manage Custom Resolutions" or something like that depending on your driver version. 4. There should be a checkbox along the lines of "Allow modes not exposed by the display" and check this box. 5. Also on this UI page you should be able to create "custom resolutions", click "create" and change your "Horizontal desktop pixels" to 1280 and your "Vertical desktop lines" to 800, then click "Test". If everything looks OK after accept the changes. 6. Now go back to your display settings resolution slider, 1280x800 should now be an option and this mod should work!

Thanks worked fine to run the game but i got major graphic issues- verticle lines covering half the screen of cycling pixles :STried some patches for nvidia cards with no luck.Think i'll just run in its good old fashioned res as nature intended. Thanks for the help and speedy reply though

Wow very weird that everyone wants to play this game at the same time. I've been looking for my copy for the past week and only just found it today but seems most of the comments have been in the last month or so.

Great guide! Had a few problems trying to actually get to the install screen as it didn't want to load after the front screen with "Install, View Demo" etc.

hi i followed your guide but when i try to play the game i get the message. An Assertion failed in F:\Torment\Source\chitin\ChDimm.cpp at line number 787.(F: is my cd drive) any ideas where i went wrong?

Thanks for this outstanding guide! I just got my hands on a copy of the 4CD game, never having played it before. I applied all the recommended mods/patches just as described here and so far it's working excellently. I had a small problem when my display driver didn't support 1280x800 as one of its options, so the game exited with an error. A quick google search showed how to fix it (add the resolution manually using the nvidia control panel), and now everything is fine.

I can't believe how much better this looks than Baldur's gate, which I have been playing at the default resolution. I'm going to install the widescreen mod for that game ASAP!

hey, thanks for the awesome guide though i started having some problems with the game after all these moddings.

Firstly, contrary to what you stated, my older saves loaded and worked correctly. is this something to be expected?

secondly, when i try to enter some areas like homes, the game freezes in the saving part of the autosave system. the bar reaches the lady's head but a loading bar never shows up. do you happen to know the cause of this?

~ 7. Save the file in Notepad and you're all set! (Note: In Windows Vista you may need to save torment.ini onto your desktop and then copy it back to the game directory.)~ If you have Vista, it's actually better to install the game into 'games' sub-directory, not into the 'Program Files' sub-directory, because the Vista protects the Program Files folders content from being overwritten.

Hi everyone, i've decided to play this game that i never played before because everyone told me it's really good. But i've some problems when i lunch it with the mod here described.If i play the game in 1280x1024 (the best res for my monitor) it seems that the game lag and the fps drop. I don't know why but i would like to know if you have the same output after modding this game.My computer is

It's probably the graphic card. I recently purchased the same card and I'm having FPS drops. With my older card everything was ok. To improve performance go to the Torment.ini and set Translucent Shadows=0. Also go to the control panel and set all 3d settings to "use application settings" and also disable triple buffering and adaptive anti-aliasing. This will improve your performance somewhat. If the game's FPS are still very low, then lower the hardware acceleration to one above "none" (desktop-> properties-> settings-> advanced-> troubleshooting) This will most likely fix the fps problem but it may introduce other graphical glitches.

Hi, thanks for the great article! I'm working through it now. Feedback:

1. I have the 2CD version. In step 2, you have to copy both the .bif files (only 4 of them) *and* the .cbf files (104 of them) to CDALL.If you don't do this, the first area fails to load (asking you to insert disc into drive c:).

2. You might add a step 2b, which is to try launching the game to see if it works, before adding any mods and complicating matters.

Im getting one of those asertion errors or whatever number 4322. video not supported or whatever it says pretty much like Spikey Kiwis error. I dont have a nvidia card, all I have is the graphics card that came on the computer, A gateway laptop I bought brand new about 4 months ago. Well Im gonna just go back to normal res and see if I have any other problems. Either way GREAT guide, Im usually an idiot when it comes to this stuff but I got through the guide no prob. BTW anyone know where I can find solutions and talk boards on Vampire: The Masquerade bloodlines?

ok well forget my last comment the bigger problem here is the same one that led me to your mod guide thinking that would solve it. The first time I played the game I got all the way to the exit of the mortuary and in the saving screen it froze. After installing the mods now it just froze when I tried to go up the first set of stairs, same amount of the save/load bar loaded (not much). If anyone can help me PLEASE. I wanna play this game so bad, Ive heard nothing but good things...

Another tip. If you are seeing any of the following visual quirks (I did):- characters walking backwards- very blocky 'darkness' tiles outside your line of sight- ugly rectangles around item pickups- slowdown and stutter when spell effects appear

Simply go into Video Options and set everything (all 3 buttons) to *Software mode*. I think modern graphics cards do things differently than in 1999!

If your PC is reasonably up to date you shouldn't see any adverse effect.

OK, I can confirm there may be a way forward for Vista/Win7 users experiencing corruption when big spells go off. It's not trivial though.

I just fired up a Win XP Pro instance in VMware and the game runs fine. The spell effects are OK - the only glitch is a slight flickering in the game's mouse pointer.

High level steps are1. Get VMware player - it's free.2. Create a .vmx file (a virtual machine) and a .vmdk file (a virtual disk). You can google for help on this.3. Check that VMware will open your .vmx image correctly and recognise the disk, etc.4. Get hold of a WinXP Pro ISO image. Mine is SP2.5. Install Windows on your VMware image.6. Install VMware tools on the virtual Windows.7. The clever bit: simply drag and drop the /Torment folder from your PC into the VMware desktop.8. Set VMware to be able to see your CD drive (the game needs to see the game disc).9. Launch and cross your fingers!

Hi, thanx for sharing this guide, it's awesome for an awesome game!I run the game in Win7 with a geforce 8500GT (I've installed the nvidia fix) but still got the problem with casting spells: the screen slowdown and flash!Anyone can help? I don't want to install winXP...is there a patch that can fix this problem?

Gianluca said " Hi, thanx for sharing this guide, it's awesome for an awesome game!I run the game in Win7 with a geforce 8500GT (I've installed the nvidia fix) but still got the problem with casting spells: the screen slowdown and flash!Anyone can help? I don't want to install winXP...is there a patch that can fix this problem?"

I'm running XP with a Nvidia 8000 series and had the same problem with spells crashing my system. Found this solution on another site that seem to be working for me.

"Try updating your graphics card drivers. You most likely have either an ATI or nVidia graphics card.

If you have an nVidia card, you may experience problems even with the latest drivers. It has been suggested by forum member Vorlin and others that graphical corruption can be prevented by reducing your video card's graphics acceleration. The instructions to do this are as follows:

1) Right-click on the Windows Desktop2) Click on "Properties"3) Select the "Settings" tab4) Click on the "Advanced" button5) Select the "Troubleshoot" tab in the new window6) Turn the graphics acceleration bar down 3 notches.

Note that you should not do this while the game is running. When you start Torment, the game's cursor will display graphical corruption initially but this should not be a problem once you load your save game. Also, make sure that you set the graphics acceleration back to "Full" before you play games other than Torment."

Planescape: Torment is probably my favorite game of all time. I played it the first time about 9 years ago and loved it. I've replayed it multiple times since that time. Reminds me of Dante's Divine Comedy... Thanks for the updated so I can enjoy it again on a new system.

Thanx for the reply but I can't turn off the graphic accellerator in my Nvidia geforce 8500GT!I tried the Dazzle's guide that I found in this website: http://www.shsforums.net/index.php?showtopic=30840&st=60Now the spells and the effects are ok but after I installed it, I'm getting the mouse cursor artifacts across the dialog boxes and options screens, it's very bad to see!Also the nvidia ddraw fix isn't working...What can I do?

Hi I own a copy of Planescape: Torment (the 2 disc version), and whenever I try going to the Hive via the portal near Deionarra the screen pops up telling me to insert disc 2 (which is already in the CD drive).

I'm currently running the game at 1280 X 1024 with the 50% bigger font on Windows XP Home SP3, if that is worth any mention.

I've released a new version of my PST UI mod.( http://www.shsforums.net/index.php?showforum=571 ) I've added support for all resolutions and bigger fonts for most Language versions.(English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Polish, Hungarian and Russian). So you may want to edit your installation guide accordingly.

i've been trying to get this game to work following the guide that you have written up (very good btw!!!!) but whenever i tried to run the game i got an error with the number 4322, after looking around a bit i fixed that, but now i have another problem; the game stops working after some sort of black screen. And no matter what i do it wont work!!! please, i need help TT_TT

Thanks for updating on my account ThunderPeel. I see that the new guide is even better, you've done some great work !

Just one correction though. The NEW bigger fonts are different than the old ones. I also offer 3 different sizes (20%,40%,80% bigger). You can find a comparison screenshot here : http://www.shsforums.net/topic/37221-screenshots/

As a Vista user, I experienced some difficulty installing mods when I install the game in the standard program files folder. These problems all disappeared when I installed it somewhere else like my documents, though. You may wish to include a note to the effect that Vista users should avoid installing Planescape anywhere where it will be painful to try to write to the files with the mods.

Hi, thanks for your post. I also run Vista, and the only problems I can see would be with Bigg's Widescreen mod... every other one requires Admin access and should therefore not have any issues. I'll do some testing and update the guide. Can you go into any more detail that might help me? Thanks.

Hi, I'm following your instructions and am stuck at Step 2, copying the .bif files from CD2, because AR0205, AR0207 and AR0208 on my CD2 cannot be copied (the other .bif files from CD3 and 4 are copied). Is it possible to get these files from you or someone here? I really want to play this game. (I'm using Windows Vista Home Edition Basic, if that makes any difference. I'm really a noob at this and this game would be my first rpg.) Thanks in advance for any help!

You might want to mention that 800x600 isn't a viable option for the Widescreen mod. Even though it will work on its own, 800x600 is not a supported resolution for Ghostdog's UI - and Ghostdog will only install on 1024+. If you try to install Ghostdog over 800x600 widescreen, you'll get an error and the Ghostdog installation will fail.

Hi, and thank you for these instructions. I recently bought Planescape Torment (though I have played it through a couple of times before) and wanted to try at least the widescreen mod and the unfinished business pack.Anyways, there are some things I wanted to bring up, in case you can/want to edit the instructions. The copy I bought came on a single DVD. While trying to install the mods, I discovered the following things:- The DVD is essentially compiled from the 4 CD version of the game. The contents of disks 2, 3 and 4 are within subfolders \cd2\, \cd3\ and \cd4\ respectively.

- Since it was created from the 4 CD version, the single-DVD version requires the 1.1 patch to be installed.

I just thought I'd mention it. Since the DVD is a re-release, it is quite possible that many people buy it, then hear about all the mods and want to install them, only to be dumbfounded about what to do, since the instructions only mention the 2 CD and 4 CD versions of the game. It would be most excellent, if you could include the additional instructions on what to do with the DVD version.

Can somebody please post a link on how to do all this with the new DVD version of this game?There must be someone that knows how to do full install and add all the mods to the dvd version out there somewhere.Any help would be appreciated.

Just to let everyone know, fixpack, unifinished business and tweakpack just got updated to 4.0. Also, widescreen mod was updated to 2.3. They are massive updates. It is good time to be a Torment player these days.

Hello, thanks for the amazing guide. Have been looking forward to playing through this game for ages!

I do have one large issue though and was wondering if anyone can help? The game looks nice, runs smoothely and is almost perfect, but there is flickering. I have heard it mentioned elsewhere in forums, but no one seems to be describing quite what I am seeing. For me, it is the fog of war alone that flickers and only whenI scroll! Incredibly annoying and I really am wondering if anyone can help.

For reference Im running a GeForce 7900 GTX, WinXP and have followed the guide above to the letter with all the latest versions of the relavent mods.

If you may also want to add that Vista and Win7 users are advised to install the game in a folder outside Program Files. Since in these OS there are restrictions in program files that are not weidu-friendly.

Finally updated to include all the changes that people have recommended, and also all the new work that Qwinn has put into versions 4.0 of his mods. If you think I've missed something, please let me know. Thanks!

I know. I was confused by that, too. That's why I say "ignore the name and version number" in the guide. I have asked Biggs directly and he said that 2.40 is the correct version number. I don't get it either :-/

NOTE for anyone who's got the 2CD version and fails to apply the Widescreen mod with "EXE patching failed" error: this happens if you have modified Torment.ini so that "Full Screen" is set to 0; to fix this set this parameter back to 1 and run the mod installer again.

Sometimes I feel like I just have to post a comment somewhere to show my support and thankfulness.This guide was very well written, easy step-by-step and wih all the most important stuff to get me going with a nice playing experience. I'm now ready to take up what I didn't finish 10 years ago :). Back then I was only a 14 year old kid but now philosophy and litterature are two big interests for me, so I'm so eager to play this!Once again, thank you!

Thanks a lot for this awesome guide. I've never played PS-T before but I'm a huge fan of Bioware/Black Isle so I got it on eBay. With this I'll be able to have an awesome playthrough on my first time. Kudos!

Hi, I had to reinstall PST from the beginning after my Vista Home Basic gave me some blue screens. I had to uninstall Service Pack 2 and I have only Service Pack 1 installed at the moment.

I followed your instructions from Step 1. Before Step 1 even -- I created a folder "Games" under my user folder, and did not install PST in C:\Program Files.

Just before the installation was complete, a dialog box popped up: "DirectDraw INIT FAILED". (I don't know what that means, had tried asking friends, no one knew for sure.) I clicked OK, and the installation was complete. I ran the official patch (trmt11.exe). Everything ok. I tried to run PST, as recommended.

I searched for similar problems reported in the posts and saw a couple, but I was unable to follow the recommended fixes as it seems my system works differently. (Sorry, I'm a noob, and afraid of the computer blowing up in my face.)

Thank you, I really apreciated this guide, this is my first time playing Planescape : Torment, everything runs great but I got a different problem, my char when he walks east it's sprite faces west which makes it walk backwards,is that normal ? if it's not, is there any fix ? thanks again for the guide.ps: I got the problem even before applying the fixes

I've played maybe 20 hours into the game with the widescreen and UI mods. If I now install the fix pack and other mods recommended here, will I still be able to load my current save files and continue the game as normal, or would I need to start over with a fresh game?

Hi all...I'm having a crashing problem, and wondered if anyone had any suggestions. Specifically, the game seems to be crashing when I enter some (but not all) interior areas, especially the three tents in the Alley Of Dangerous Angles. I'm on Win XP, and I have the 4 CD version of the game. I have downloaded all files and fixes, and installed everything according to the latest instructions here. I am played a new game started AFTER installing all the latest fixes and mods. I have deleted all files in the "cache" and "temp" folders, as well as checking for any .wed files in the "override" folder (there were not). I have also changed all three graphics settings in "video options" to "software". Even after all of this, I am still having numerous crashes when enetering interior areas. Help, anyone???

I was going crazy on the part where you change the torment.ini file. It took me like 2 hours of fiddling and reinstalling to figure out what I was doing wrong. I wasn't changing the D to a C in the file. I can't tell you how retarded I felt. When I finally figured out I had reinstall again into a separate area as the widescreen mod wasn't working when I had in program files.

I have been wanting to replay Torment for years but couldn't stand the 640x480 resolution. With your guide to all of these patches, upgrades and fixes, I cannot wait to start Torment all over again. It is working great on Windows 7. I would have gladly paid for this guide. As a gamer, I am in your debt.

Good morning. I feel kinda dumb, as I haven't seen anyone with such a basic problem as mine. After avoiding Program filesx64 and installing to another folder, successfully updating the DVD ( via Vista home premium ) to v1.1, I don't see any of the cd directories. Instead, when I open the Torment folder, there are .bif files everywhere; like 60+ files.

Am I to round up every one of the files ending in .bif and copy them to the new CDALL folder? I must admit that I'm already in unfamiliar territory.

But I have a bug I'd like to fix because makes gameplay rather tough. When I move my mouse cursor over the interactive object in a main game window (that makes it highlighted - like shelves in Mortuary) the game slows down terribly. Players' movements become so sloooooooooow. When I move my cursor away (so the object stops being highlighted) everything goes OK. Does anybody know what can cause this problem and how can I solve it?

A note for anyone wondering why they're still asked for CD2 (and maybe I should put this in the guide itself). This guide does NOT bypass copy protection, so you WILL need to keep the CDs in your drive. The game will load from your HD for a faster experience while playing it, but it will also need the CD in the drive to prove that you own the game. Please don't be tempted to use a cracked version of the .exe -- because the patches later on will most likely not work.

I can confirm that there is no way to crack PST. The only way you can even apply the crack is using the original unmodified torment.exe. It's useless though, because as soon as you install the various mods, it reverts the crack, and also makes it so that it's impossible to apply the crack. Very annoying to keep your CD in the CD drive at all times.

Thanks for writing this guide and to all the people who made the various fixes and patches! When I came across it I immediately bought the DVD edition (I no longer have any of my old games unfortunately) and tried it out.

Only 1 issue so far, when I scroll over the map the shroud flickers but I can live with this minor inconveniance.

Hey Johnny, I just saw that in my UI installation comments you still have the old setup instructions.

Now when you install my mod, you're first being asked if you want to install the core mod and afterwards you're asked if you want to install bigger fonts and you are being given the option to choose the size and language you want.

I borrowed PST of a friend and am playing through it for the first time (ol' school fan of BG & BG2).

Thing is.. Even though I have a high-end machine the game still plays clunky i.e. doesn't scroll smoothly, character animations are jerky. I've installed everything on the list, is this just a consequence of it being an old game? Any tips?

hello there . as i can see the last respond to this subject is 1 year old :D ....

But after 10 years i wanted to play torment again then i found your blog . i wanna ask you something after accomplishing STEP3Aand STEP3B , Torment EXE file gives an ASSERTİON ALLERT . and i can't open the file . İ am trying lots of things to overcome this problem , read lots of forums and subjects but i couldnt figure it out , i was wondering is there any download sites that you had downloaded a Torment DVD which is fixed and working with the patches and modes ? if there isn't one . can you upload it . i know it's a lot job . but helping a guy who really wants to play torment again would be well appriciated .

Hi Andrei, I guess I should update the guide: These patches do NOT remove the copyright protection. You still need the disc in the drive for it to run. It's my understanding that attempting to run a patched version of the executable to avoid putting the disc in your drive will most likely lead to issues during the game.

I tried this guide, skipped steps 2 and 3 and ran it at standard res but loaded everything else. It worked until I tried to enter the main game and then gave me a runtime error. Using 32-bit Vista.. please help?

Somewhat of a year ago I tried to make it run on my win7 laptop and failed miserably. Now it's holidays again and again, I want to play this game. Bad.

The problem? Everything installs fine, but the game framerate slows down unbearably whenever a container is highlighted or there's a death animation. After that, it goes back to normal, but it really does make the game unplayable. I suppose it could also happen on spell effects but I haven't gotten far enough to notice it. What's funnier, that also happens in the totally unmodded vanilla game on this system. Any thoughts?

I have a weird bug. I have the widescreen, ui and pstfix all installed. The game runs perfectly except for one niggling problem. None of the characters will turn to the right. The animations will all look as if they are running left while they move, and its just... irksome. Anyone have any idea why this bizarre glitch might happen?

Great guide, game looks much better now and I'm looking forward to experience improved features in the future.

There is just this problem, that I have been playing this game before I applied those patches (I came quite far) so I am wondering if there is ANY way to repair those savegames, if not, is there some site with of savegames? Google didn't help me.

@Anonymous Sorry I've no idea what that could be? Have you got the latest drivers for your graphics card? Worth a shot...

@Jade Did you try the fixes mentioned at the bottom of the guide?

@Amir Apparently there's nothing you can do about those savegames -- the game is very weird about saving. As for other people's saves, I think you have to have almost the exact same set-up (including resolution) in order to use them. You could try asking at the SpellHold Studios forums, though.

I spent about 3 days installing / unistalling / reinstalling various mods to try to get this classic working at top notch, but continually got problems, especially with resolution which was one i really wanted. Once I'd found your page, got the whole thing sorted in about 45 minutes. You are now my friend and I love you. Now off to waste the rest of the summer in the planes...

I cant beleive i ran accross this guide. What luck! I played the hell out of Baldurs Gate & BG2 and always wanted toplay Ps:T but never got around to it. Then my aunt came in with a box full of old games from a garage sale and I snagged it!It has been a pleasant surprise to see how well this game has been supported over the years!

Hey thanks for this guide. I just went to install the game (first time I've ever played it), and on a whim decided to google it to make sure it installs okay on XP. Found this and looks like it was a great thing. I'd be looking for stuff like widescreen mods and no-cd stuff and all that soon enough anyway.

Got it all sorted out before I even get started on the game, can't beat that.

By the way,the cache=1 setting can be improved by setting the NTFS permission of the cache file to reject write in.Being a chinese,my English is weird,please forgive me.Your work is highly appreciated.

You must have searched for the cd2,cd3 and cd4 folders at the folder you installed PS:T. You should look for them in the dvd folder instead. (Go at My PC, right click at the torment icon and select explore.)

I was also confused by this, it's the only part of the guide that isn't clear.

Aside from that though, it is an excellent guide. Many thanks to the author for all his effort. It's very much appreciated

I use windows 7 and I installed widescreen mod at resolution 1920x1050 on my 1920x1080 LCD

Then I also use D3DWindower to fix graphical glitches and I use program called ShiftWindow to shift it -3 and -25 so it's practically full screen.30 pixels are for taskbar because it's allways on top anyways and it doesn't bother me.:)

First off, fantastic guide. Thank you for creating it. I followed the directions perfectly and although the game runs I have an issue. Inside the mortuary I have no problems. Once I get to the hive and attempt to walk into another building the game autosaves and then during the loading screen kicks me back to windows. I have tried several different resolutions but I'm not sure what else to try. I am really sad because I really want to play this game.

I have a 6 year old system running Windows XP with a Geforce FX 600 video card. I am fairly sure it is the video card that is causing the error. If anyone has any input it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

None of the mods ERASE save files, they just prevent it from running existing saves that were made in different resolutions. (This is to do with PST's unusual save game files.) Some of the other nods are so extensive that I believe it's safer to start from scratch, too. Hope that clarifies things.

Just wanted to chime in and say a big thanks to you for both culling all this information and presenting it in a wonderfully easy to read way. Far too often information such as this is scattered, or at the very least has the procedure written quite poorly. Anyway, now I can finally play the game on my new laptop as it was meant to be!

P.S. Thanks to the entire modding community for creating the mods in the first place. :D

Sorry, me again.I've reinstalled the game, patched it, applied all the appropriate mods and it works perfectly. I realised the CDALL folder had originally been directed to the D drive, when it should've been the C drive. Thanks for all your help. It's a long process getting it to this point but it makes the game look so much better. Thanks!

I just got the GOG version but keep getting the error message "an assertion failed ... no valid video modes supported" when I try to launch it. I have tried the widescreen mod with multiple settings but no luck. Any ideas?

Heya, hoping you can help with an error. Thanks heaps for posting this by the way, very generous of you to spend the time. I'm about to play it for the first time so feel pretty lucky to be playing this pumped up version.

When I start the game, as soon as Morte comes over to start his first piece of dialogue, game crashes and I get:

An Assertion failed in F:\Torment\Source\chitin\ChVidPal.cpp at line number 1124

A few notes:- I'm playing on a 1366x768 native res screen and input that into widescreen- I have no F drive- It's definitely related to dialogue as I saw a guy on another forum having the same problem with no solution

Hey, one thing you could add is after installing all of the mods and such you can simply delete the folder .../Torment/ereg/ in order to prevent the window asking for registration from popping up all the time. It's not a big pain, but then again it's an easy fix.

@Anonymous Yes, you could argue that it makes the game easier, so it's up to you (ie it is not necessary). If this tweak isn't set, then you only get a randomized amount of HP when one of your party gains a level. What this lead to was people just saving and reloading until they got a dice roll they liked. This tweak just takes the randomness out of it. Hope that helps you make an informed decision as to what you want to do.

Awesome guide, made me want to play the game again for the...8th time I guess? Everything works like a charm except, well...the animations seem to be screwed up. They work normally, it's just that they sometimes happen when they shouldn't, or at different angle. Moonwalking in a common occurence for almost every NPC I see, with some occational stuttering in place, the Nameless One attacks someone to the right of him, only that he's facing to the left with his knife, etc.. It's funny at first, but...anyone experienced (and preferably solved) this yet? Thx for any info. =)

Thanks a lot for this outstanding guide! Everything worked 100% as you described, and the result is a truely awesome enhancement of PST. Even more amazing to find such a guide, with all links working, for a 10 year old game. I didnt expect anything like that would exist, so thanks again for making my day!

A couple of the mods I did I had to pull the files from the cd folders I made and place them into main Torment folder. That was the only way the mod packs would install to the files. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Vista (my friends computer I was putting it on), and my inability to turn off "read only" on the files. Anyway, I just used the "date modified" sorting ability to differentiate which cd was which in order to put the files back to where they belonged.

Incidentally, I also had the "insert cd2" problem, but I noticed that it was asking me to insert it into the C drive. I went back into the .ini file and specified within the "cdall" file \cd2, 3, or 4 at the appropriate line. After that, it worked like a charm.

Great guide, I got about halfway through the game when I was 19. My computer took a dump on me, and I didn't know anything about fixing them back then. I never got to finish it, so when my friend let me put it on his computer (I have a mac, and can't put it on my computer since I can't run "thousands of colors") I was ecstatic. Thanks!